Banks are watching your social media — here are 5 things to avoid if you want a career in finance

Corporate Resolutions Inc
LONDON - If you've just had a big night out, you might want to think twice before posting the gory details on Facebook or Instagram.

Especially if you want to work in finance.

Banks and hedge funds are increasingly checking social media accounts of potential hires to see if they will be a responsible, sober employee.

Investors are employing the same techniques to decide who gets to manage their money. They often look for specific personality traits and psychological profiles before trusting a person with their wealth.

Specialist firms carry out the checks and Business Insider spoke to one of them - Corporate Resolutions - to find out what triggers the biggest and brightest red flags. The company, based in New York, was set up by a former FBI agent.

"We cruise social networking sites to ensure the potential executive or money-manager is not commenting on or posting pictures," that potential employers would find distasteful, Joelle Scott, a senior vice president at Corporate Resolutions, said.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram offer a huge repository of public information about private people. Here's what companies like Corporate Resolutions look at.

2: Salaciousness – "It may not be 'illegal,' but some types of behaviour are embarrassing, and employers don’t want any part of it," Scott said.

Big banks may see salacious behaviour as a risk factor. Last year, the transcripts of text messages between a former Goldman Sachs salesmen and an alleged prostitute known as "Michella" were released in a court case between the Libyan Investment Authority and the US bank.

3/

3: Threatening or harassing statements about friends, co-workers, celebrities or political figures – "People forget that using Facebook or Twitter to express extreme opinions about a politician puts a potential employer in a very uncomfortable position. Often, they’ll move on and look at other qualified candidates," said Scott.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

The last thing a bank needs is a loose cannon.

4/

4: Encouraging or supporting hate groups or terrorists – "Twitter is known to have a strong racist/white supremacist following. Being associated with such a group is Kryptonite for employers," Scott said.

AP Photo

Finance firms want to be seen as inclusive employers, focused on talent rather than background, so anyone with extreme views will have trouble fitting in.

5/

5: Cheating/being unethical – "Bragging about cheating at poker, or worse, cheating on your husband or wife? Yeah, employers are not going to look on that favourably," said Scott.

REUTERS/Katoly Arvai

Banks' institutional culture and behaviour have become a key focus for regulators since the 2012 Libor manipulation scandal, so rule breakers will find it harder to get a financial job.